Welcome To The New World
by PoodleWoodle1992
Summary: T.J. and his pals move to Elwood City and start middle school there. But will things get better or take a turn for the worst? Read and review!


(Disclaimer: I hereby do not, in any way, shape, or form, own anything. All trademarks, characters, names, brands, franchises, products, logos, and locations are registered trademarks and copyright to their respective owners. I understand that any form of copyright infringement is strictly prohibited.)

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Chapter 1: Arrival In Elwood City

Summer vacation was officially coming to an end, and T.J. Detweiler sat on his bed looking over his baseball cards. There was one significant to him, and that card featured Pete Rose, a former Cincinnati Reds player.  
"T. Jerk!" Becky, T.J.'s older sister, walked into the room. "Guess what?"  
"Now Becky, be kind to your brother," Mrs. Detweiler said. "We have something very special to say."  
"What?" T.J. replied.  
"We're moving tomorrow to Elwood City, home of the _Arthur_ TV series."  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" T.J. asked suddenly.  
"And your fellow teammates are moving there as well so that they can hang out with you," Mr. Detweiler said. He handed T.J. a flier of Mill Creek Middle School, which was the school he would go to on the first day of sixth grade.  
"Wow! I get to meet Arthur, Buster, Brain, Binky, George, Francine, Muffy, Fern, Prunella, Sue Ellen, Jenna, and many other new people!" T.J. was beyond thrilled. _Arthur_ was one of his favorite TV shows.

T.J. then rode his bike past Third Street Elementary School to a local park. When he got there, he put it on the bike rack and ran down the path. Ashley Spinelli, Mikey Blumberg, Gretchen Grundler, Vince LaSalle, and Gus Griswald were sitting and watching the little kids playing on the playground.  
"These rascals always end up being ruthless," Spinelli said.  
"I'd like to take Chorus while we're at Mill Creek Middle School," Mikey said. "Everyone appreciates my singing talent. Or maybe Acting would do."  
"What do these Elwood City people have to offer?" T.J. asked his friends.  
"I know they have a professional baseball team," Vince said.  
"The Grebes?" T.J. raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah."  
"The population of Elwood City is 351,789," Gretchen told the rest of the gang. "The people are anthropomorphic animals of many different species and variations. The observatory there is on the north side of the city. It has an electromagnetic telescope that can read infrared and ultraviolet light."  
"Well, we better get packing and get some rest," Gus said. "And God bless America for letting us move to the city of our dreams."  
The group separated to pack up their belongings and get a good night's rest.

The next morning at 7 a.m, T.J's alarm clock rang. T.J. woke up with a jolt, got dressed, put on his trademark red baseball cap, and raced downstairs to the living room. "Mom! Dad! Today's the day!" he shouted.  
After breakfast, the Detweilers did a five-minute dummy check of their old house and said goodbye to their rooms. A giant red and white motorcoach was waiting out front. Spinelli, Mikey, Gretchen, Vince, and Gus were sitting in some of the passenger seats, waiting for him.  
"Pooky!" A mean sounding voice was heard outside the bus windows. It was Irwin Lawson, an archenemy of the gang. He then laid eyes on Vince.  
"Hey! The baby piglet! Wah wah oink oink! Wah wah oink oink!" he jeered.  
"Step off, Lawson," Vince spat. Lawson walked away.  
"Why does everybody call me Pooky?" Spinelli asked, her eyes smoldering.  
"Calm down, Spinelli," Gus reassured. "It's not that big of a deal."  
"I sure hope Lawson doesn't move to Elwood City," Vince said. "I've had it with his teasing."  
T.J. walked out the front door of his old home, followed by his sister and parents, and put his suitcase in the luggage compartment of the motorcoach. Several moving vans, one for each family, were parked behind the motorcoach.  
"Well guys, it's time to say goodbye to this sleepy neighborhood and Third Street," Mikey told the team. "Be prepared to live like it's a brand new day!"  
When T.J.'s parents got into the moving van, which had their cars on the rear platform, Becky got into her own beat-up Jeep. The motorcoach immediately started its engine, and everyone drove off.  
"Goodbye, Third Street Elementary," T.J. said. "Goodbye, fifth grade. Goodbye, Randall Weems. Goodbye, Principal Prickly. Goodbye, Miss Finster. Elwood City, here we come!" His friends cheered.

The motorcoach drove vast distances through forests and fields, over a few long bridges spanning rivers and creeks, and past rural towns with roads lined with gas stations, motels, and restaurants.  
"How about some grub for y'all?" the driver asked as he looked in the rearview mirror.  
"Righteous!" Spinelli said.  
As soon as they got to the next exit, the motorcoach took the off-ramp, turned into a parking lot, and stopped. The moving vans and cars of the families parked next to it.  
"We know the routine. We'll be careful," Vince told the driver, who gave him a thumbs-up back.  
The gang exited the bus. Spinelli and Vince went across the street to McDonald's, Gus went to KFC, T.J. went to Dairy Queen, Mikey went to Arby's and then a Phillips 66 gas station to buy candy and snacks, and Gretchen went with the driver to Burger King. They all sat at a table near the parking lot. As soon as everyone was finished, T.J. picked up the large tray of Blizzards, and each person took one. He knew what flavors they wanted. The gang then got back on the motorcoach and headed onto the highway. Mikey felt like he was in heaven when he gobbled up his candy, but he shared some with his friends.  
"Only 80 miles to Elwood City!" the driver said, looking at the green sign on the side of the highway. Everyone cheered.

Well, when the bus entered the Elwood City limits, Spinelli told the driver to take the Lakewood/Mill Creek exit because that's where their new homes were. The bus drove down a few streets, and everyone had their belongings ready. Spinelli was the first to be dropped off. Her new home was a green Cape Cod style house with dormer windows. Vince was next. He was moving into a unit in the same apartment complex where Francine Frensky lived. Gretchen was dropped off at a large colonial home, Gus was moving into a brown Craftsman bungalow, Mikey was moving into a unit in a white two-family foursquare house with black trim on the windows, and the Detweilers ended up at an English tutor house, which happened to be a few doors down from the house where Fern Walters lived.

That evening, the phone rang. Mrs. Detweiler answered it.  
"Hello?"  
"It's Arthur Read," the voice said. "May I speak to T.J?"  
"Sure. Hold on," Mrs. Detweiler said. "T.J! Arthur's on the phone!"  
"I love my large, beautiful bedroom!" T.J. said, walking into the foyer. He picked up the phone. "Hey! Whatcha up to?"  
"I've heard a lot about you and your friends," Arthur said. "Do you know mine?"  
"Of course," T.J. replied. "I wanna get used to Elwood City."  
T.J. could hardly wait for the first day of middle school.


End file.
